Quote:
Originally Posted by paul m
Here's one for the mythologists and archaeologists and amongst you!
What's going on here?
I know about the myth of Apollo and Coronis but can't fit this picture into it. The lyreist (what do you call a person playing a lyre?) seems to be offering an oblation of blood to the crow? |
I
think that it is a picture of Apollo playing the lyre whilst pouring libation. This type of ritual was conducted a lot during burials; animals were sacrificed, a festive meal was eaten and libations of blood or wine were poured on the floor. They did this so that the dead, who were buried under the ground, could join in the feast. The person who poured the libation was crowned with a bay leaf crown, by a woman who is identified as the muse.
The bay leaf is a symbolical connection to the dead and a reference to Apollo. There are other references to Apollo in this picture: the crow (as you said) and the lyre.
What I can tell you with reasonable certainty about this piece of pottery is that it is a Kylinx that probably dates from around 450 BC.
~*~Frostfire~*~